New "State of the Climate" report delivers sobering and stunning data
Why it matters: The annual "State of the Climate" is among the most comprehensive looks at global warming's many effects, both worldwide and by region.
Threat level: One takeaway from the peer-reviewed study — published by the American Meteorological Society — is that it's not (just) the heat, but the humidity, with multiple humidity indicators setting new marks.
Stunning stat:"The global average number of high humid heat days ... over land reached a record of 35.6 days more than normal in 2024, surpassing the previous record set in 2023 by 9.5 days," says a summary from the U.K. Met Office meteorological service.
That metric refers to days when the "wet-bulb temperature" exceeded 90% of normal levels. "Wet bulb" refers to combinations of heat, humidity and other factors that hinder the body's ability to cool itself through sweat.
"Such a dramatic increase in the occurrence of these humid-heat events is bringing more societies into challenging, potentially life-threatening situations," said Kate Willett, a Met Office scientist and co-author of the humidity sections.
The big picture: A few more high-level takeaways...
Atmospheric concentrations of the major planet-warming gases — CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide — hit new highs. CO2 is now 52% above preindustrial levels.
2024 was the hottest year in records dating back to the mid-1800s, beating out 2023, and "[t]he last 10 years (2015–24) are now the warmest 10 in the instrumental record."
Canada, the U.S. and Mexico all saw their warmest years.
State of play:"The annual sea surface temperature was the highest in the 171-year record, marking the second year in a row that the global ocean set such a record."
Air temps in the Arctic were the second-highest in 125 years of records, while the maximum reach of Arctic sea ice was the second-smallest in 46 years of satellite observations.
What we're watching:"Unfortunately, it looks like we are seeing yet another year of extreme weather," said Laura Stevens, the climate scientist who edited report sections on North America.
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Axios
2 days ago
- Axios
New "State of the Climate" report delivers sobering and stunning data
An array of climate metrics hit fresh records in 2024, a major new report with contributions from hundreds of scientists worldwide shows. Why it matters: The annual "State of the Climate" is among the most comprehensive looks at global warming's many effects, both worldwide and by region. Threat level: One takeaway from the peer-reviewed study — published by the American Meteorological Society — is that it's not (just) the heat, but the humidity, with multiple humidity indicators setting new marks. Stunning stat:"The global average number of high humid heat days ... over land reached a record of 35.6 days more than normal in 2024, surpassing the previous record set in 2023 by 9.5 days," says a summary from the U.K. Met Office meteorological service. That metric refers to days when the "wet-bulb temperature" exceeded 90% of normal levels. "Wet bulb" refers to combinations of heat, humidity and other factors that hinder the body's ability to cool itself through sweat. "Such a dramatic increase in the occurrence of these humid-heat events is bringing more societies into challenging, potentially life-threatening situations," said Kate Willett, a Met Office scientist and co-author of the humidity sections. The big picture: A few more high-level takeaways... Atmospheric concentrations of the major planet-warming gases — CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide — hit new highs. CO2 is now 52% above preindustrial levels. 2024 was the hottest year in records dating back to the mid-1800s, beating out 2023, and "[t]he last 10 years (2015–24) are now the warmest 10 in the instrumental record." Canada, the U.S. and Mexico all saw their warmest years. State of play:"The annual sea surface temperature was the highest in the 171-year record, marking the second year in a row that the global ocean set such a record." Air temps in the Arctic were the second-highest in 125 years of records, while the maximum reach of Arctic sea ice was the second-smallest in 46 years of satellite observations. What we're watching:"Unfortunately, it looks like we are seeing yet another year of extreme weather," said Laura Stevens, the climate scientist who edited report sections on North America.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Forbes
Is Svalbard Still The Best Destination To See Polar Bears?
Quark Expeditions guests watched this young female polar bear climb an ice hummock for a better view. Stephen Bradley, courtesy of Quark Expeditions Aboard Quark Expedition's ice class ship Ocean Explorer , the expedition leader's voice wakes guests over the PA system in the morning before breakfast. It's day four of a high Arctic trip through Svalbard, an archipelago of islands that's one of the northernmost land masses in the world. Svalbard is famous as an Arctic wilderness of serrated peaks, tumbling glaciers, and shifting sea ice. It's also home to an array of Arctic wildlife, including foxes, walrus, reindeer, whales—and polar bears, which is what most travelers come here to see. That is why leader David Wood is waking guests up . 'A polar bear has been spotted off the bow,' he announces. Throughout the 138-passenger ship, travelers hustle out of bed and into gear warm enough for an early June morning up here—it's in the low 30s F°. Some even eschew coffee in the excitement on the way up to the outer decks, from which they'll watch the bear for as long as the ship has a good view of it. But this season, there's a difference in how wildlife like this is allowed to be viewed. The Norwegian government, which controls Svalbard, put new regulations in place that started in January of 2025 to protect this fragile Arctic environment, which last year saw an estimated 500 cruise ships carrying 26,000 passengers. One of those regulations is that expedition ships must keep a distance of at least 300 meters from polar bears. Between March and June, it's 500 meters. 'Climate change is leading to more difficult conditions for polar bears on Svalbard,' Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, the Norwegian minister of climate and environment, told The Independent . 'It is important for them to be able to search for food, hunt, rest, and take care of their cubs without interference from humans. Keeping a good distance will also ensure that dangerous situations do not arise and that polar bears do not get used to humans over time.' Other new regulations include a ban on drone use, and a ban on breaking fast ice, which is ice that's anchored to the shore or a shallow ocean bottom and doesn't move with wind or currents, like sea ice does. Polar bears rely on fast ice as a platform for hunting seals. There was some initial unease within the travel industry and media that these regulatory changes in Svalbard would negatively impact the guest experience. Paul Goldstein, an expedition leader and photographer with the cruise operator Secret Atlas, said that 'thousands of cabins' are going unbooked on ships due to the distance rule, as 'the pleasure and thrill' of a close-up encounter with Earth's largest land-based predator 'is being denied.' But how much was the experience actually being impacted by these rules? Polar Bear Encounters Before and After Regulations On Ocean Explorer , guests are quietly watching a sub-adult female from the two outer decks on the bow of the ship, which the captain is keeping 500 meters away from the bear. Before the new regulations, says Annie Inglis, Marine Biology Presenter with Quark, the expedition crew would be hurrying to get guests in Zodiacs to try to get closer to a bear sighting like this. Quark guests watching a polar bear on the sea ice from the upper deck of the Ocean Explorer. Stephen Bradley, courtesy of Quark Expeditions 'It was always based on a non-disturbance principle,' she says, where any sign that wildlife was changing behavior due to the presence of people or boats meant the boats backed off. Inglis did have some concerns about the new regulations because 'we always want to give guests the best possible experience for seeing wildlife, to meet or exceed expectations they may have.' But without the stress of logistics and time spent in lowering Zodiacs into the water, getting people geared up in waterproof layers, boots, and lifejackets and off the ship into the small rubber boats, Inglis says the experience is, in fact, better. 'The quality of the experiences we've been having this season have so far been remarkable. We're able to observe behavior, watch for longer, and people can find a spot on deck where they can watch comfortably, and change position. We set up scopes all around.' Deck Viewing Allows for Longer Encounters From the height of the upper bow decks, the view of the bear is exceptional. For an hour and a half, guests watch her pace on the ice. She breaks into a run a few times. She climbs a hummock for a better view, and finds a lead of open water to take herself swimming. She stalks a seal resting on the ice, unsuccessfully. 'That's one sign she's a sub-adult,' Inglis says. 'She's wasting precious energy swimming, running, and rolling.' The thing is, 500 meters doesn't seem that far away. Guests are close enough that through binoculars, one can clearly see the blood and blubber from the bear's last meal still staining her muzzle. A polar bear rolls on sea ice in the northernmost reaches of Svalbard. Stephen Bradley, courtesy of Quark Expeditions 'I have heard from both Quark and Oceanwide that they are getting much higher guest satisfaction scores on their Svalbard expeditions this year in comparison with previous years,' said Kassandra Magruder, Senior Trip Planner with Adventure Life, a travel planning company that sells Arctic trips. 'They feel that the new regulations in Svalbard are having no negative effects on their ability to deliver a world-class experience to their guests. From Adventure Life's standpoint, Svalbard bookings continue to be as strong as ever and we are seeing less availability for the 2026 season than we have in past years at this same time.' If seeing polar bears in an Arctic wilderness is on your bucket list, now is the time to plan a Svalbard trip.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Record humidity across the world in 2024 as experts warn of rising health risk
Climate change drove record levels of global humidity in 2024, posing a rising risk to people's health, a new report has warned. The latest 'State of the Climate' report published by the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (BAMS) found 2024 set new records for levels of water vapour in the atmosphere and the number of humid days. Climate change is driving the increased humidity, as a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture. And when combined with rising temperatures – with 2024 recording record heat globally – the increase in hot, humid conditions is bringing more people into 'potentially life-threatening situations,' experts have warned. People find it harder to cool down in hot and humid conditions because sweating is less effective than in dry heat, and continued physical activity during high humid heat can lead to serious health issues, the experts warn. Dr Kate Willett of the Met Office, who is one of the report's editors, said: 'Human health can be seriously affected by high heat and humidity. 'Such a dramatic increase in the occurrence of these humid heat events is bringing more societies into challenging, potentially life-threatening, situations. 'Our report found that it's not just high temperatures that people are having to contend with, it's also humidity; with the frequency of high humid heat days at a record level, and intensity of those days at the second-highest level in the record, only fractionally cooler than 2023.' The State of the Climate report showed the amount of water in the atmosphere hit record levels over both land and ocean, with almost 90% of the atmosphere wetter than the 1991-2020 average. And the global average number of high humid heat days reached a record of 35.6 days more than normal in 2024, scientists said. The report also highlights last year was the hottest year on record globally, and the 10th consecutive year that was more than 1C above pre-industrial levels, while the last 10 years have been the hottest 10 years on record. In 2024, sea surface temperatures were at their highest in records dating back 171 years, and marine heatwaves were observed over more than nine tenths (91%) of the world's oceans. All 58 reference glaciers lost more ice than they gained in 2024, in only the second year this has happened, while Colombia's Conejeras glacier was declared extinct, and all of Venezuela's glaciers have officially disappeared. It was the wettest year for extreme rainfall on record, while there was also no let up in the increase in climate-warming pollution, with the main gases carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide all hitting new highs in the atmosphere, the study found. Professor Stephen Belcher, Met Office chief scientist, said: 'The changes to global climate highlighted in the BAMS State of the Climate report indicates the need for deep, rapid and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels in order to limit warming as much as possible, alongside scaled up adaptation action to protect societies and nature already exposed to impacts from record breaking extremes.'
